Search This Blog

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Curator’s Newsletter May 2011

From Mary Godwin, Curator of Lyme Regis Museum:

Friends In Deed
In their recent book sale, carried out over two days and on eBay, the Friends of the Museum made a splendid £715.52 towards the museum lighting fund. We’d like to thank the many people who donated books; your generosity is much appreciated. Thanks also to the many helpers. The new lighting design for the museum is now ready and we will be going ahead with the work, room by room, once the museum moves into its winter timetable again in November. Further fundraising will also be done to enable as many new LED light fittings as possible to be purchased.

The Lymiad
Many newsletter readers will have subscribed to enable the publication of The Lymiad, an anonymous witty account of life in Lyme in Regency times. Originally, the plan was to publish at the end of 2010 but this has been seriously delayed and we’re very grateful for your patience. John Constable, with whom we’re working to realise this project, has reported that the delay is primarily due to new information which has come to light about the possible author of The Lymiad. This has resulted in the need to rewrite and re-edit the notes and introduction. However, John reports that this is now very nearly complete, and the book is typeset. He still needs to proofread the typeset pages but then it can go to print and he hopes it will be ready in July.

Blog Update
Blogging, Facebook and Tweeting are all really just online ways of promoting the museum by 'word of mouth'. It’s widely acknowledged that word of mouth is the very best form of publicity, so it’s all very worthwhile. As reported in last month’s newsletter, Andrew May and Keith Shaw have been writing a blog for us and have come up with lots of interesting stories to date.

Fossil Festival
The annual Lyme Regis Fossil Festival ran from 29th April to 1st May and was once again a great success. People of all ages came along to learn about fossils though talks, walks and hands-on science activities. During the three days we welcomed over 1,500 people to the museum and activities in the marquee. Many thanks to everyone who helped with setting up, running activities, and packing everything away!

Museum Diary Dates
14th May - ‘Sky at Night’ at the museum, with experts from the Norman Lockyer observatory 8 – 10 pm.
20th May - Launch of ‘Ebb and Flow – the Story of Maritime Lyme’ by Peter Lacey 6 - 8 pm.
22nd May - ‘Celebrating the Lerret Day’ from 11 am.

No comments:

The Lyme Regis Society

Lyme Regis Museum

About the Museum

Lyme Regis Museum stands in the heart of the town, just where the beautiful coastlines of Dorset and Devon meet on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Built on the site of the home of Lyme’s renowned fossilist Mary Anning, the museum is one of the architectural gems of the town and is packed with fascinating displays. Find out about Lyme’s early and maritime history, its internationally important geology, its fossils and the many significant writers connected with the town, from Jane Austen to John Fowles.